


War Boy to Splendid Bride

by ThoughtfulFangirl



Series: War Boy to Splendid Bride [1]
Category: MMFR, Mad Max Fury road, Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Backstory, War Boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-25 03:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4945228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoughtfulFangirl/pseuds/ThoughtfulFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Splendid Angharad was born in Citadel by a Citadel breeder—not one of the 'most prized' breeders, and that breeder sneaks her in as a war pup in the place of her twin brother, the OC Peredur. Thus begins her life as the war pup Axle, to inevitably be a war boy. But eventually, she gets discovered. Also along the way, Peredur deals with also becoming a war pup, but with secret knowledge, both from the rest of Citadel and even Angharad herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> I owe this head canon to the lierdumoa from Tumblr. They posted all their reasons for believing Angharad could be a war boy, and it was so convincing, it wormed its way into my psyche until this finally wormed its way out of me today. This fandom rocks.

Angharad bounced on the balls of her feet as the last snip above her head meant the last of her hair was shorn, and her mother sat back. The skin around her Ma’s eyes and mouth were tight, but she gave Angharad a nod of approval. “What are you going to tell them your name is?” Her mother asked for the thousandth time.

“Axle.” Angharad replied impatiently. Her mother handed her a pair of those black cargo pants the pups wore. Angharad accepted them reverently, her eyes wide. when her mom said she’d be a war pup, she’d been so excited, but she hadn’t expected this so soon. She thought Ma would have to do something special to get those. Thought presenting her would be special ‘cause she was a girl. She looked up then at her mom’s tight face, at the moisture in them.

“And what are you?”

“I’m a boy…” It finally truly dawned on Angharad what was going on. She said in a low voice, “You’re gunna say I’m your son.” 

Enid nodded. “Most of the other boys won’t have their pants yet. They’ll get presented. You tell ‘em your Milker was special. She was so proud, she found you these.” Her mom poked the pants. Her mouth quirked. “They’ll think someone special sired you.” 

“Sired?” 

“Peredur.” Enid called to her actual son. Peredur sulked over. Angharad covered her mouth to stifle the giggle that wanted out suddenly. Peredur thought he was going to get his hair cut. He’d been so mad the last couple years that Ma wouldn’t let him cut his at all.

Enid knelt in front of her son. “Please don’t fret Peredur. This is the only way your sister can join you. But she won’t be your sister there. Do you remember?”

Peredur nodded sullenly. “I don’t know Axle. Axle’s a stranger. Axle’s a boy.” Ma looked at him with desperation.

“You must remember this. I know it’ll be hard since you couldn’t practice, but it’s very important.” She leaned in and whispered into Peredur’s ear. Angharad moved in closer to try and hear, but by the time she got close enough, Ma leaned back. “Understand?”

Peredur nodded vigorously.

“Good sweetie. And for now, just for a little while, you’re Angharad.” She stood up. “Axle, put on your new attire.” She said without looking at her. Angharad hurried to strip herself of her pup coverings and slipped into the pants. They were a little big, but there was a rope belt that she tied to keep them about her hips.  

“Angharad,” She called. “Yes M'ma?” Peredur asked before Angharad herself could respond. She felt startled for a moment, but then shook her head. She didn’t fully understand what was happening. “Go back to the play room. I must present your brother.” Peredur gave one last sullen nod before making his way out of the room.

Enid returned to kneeling in front of Angharad then. “In just a moment, I have to present you as a new Pup to get inducted. You must remember that you are Axle. You are Axle! You must remember that you are a boy. No exceptions. There is going to be a time when you grow breasts and you begin to bleed from between your legs. There will be times that the others will expect you to be naked. Hide as long as you can. I’m meaning hundreds of thousands of months. As long as you possibly can, you must BE Axle. Do you understand?”

“But Mama! I’m a girl!” Angharad insisted. “War Boys don’t cover their chest!”

“Do you want to be a war pup?” Her mother’s words were so sharp, Angharad felt like crying.

She gave a mute nod, then felt compelled to add, “Very much!”

“Then this you must do. However you can. When your breasts grow in, tell them they’re tumors or… whatever you have to! Also. Trust no one! Don’t even talk to Pere about it. No place is safe. If you don’t keep this secret, they won’t let you be a war pup and may even punish us all, perhaps make us Wretched. Do you understand? Axle?”

Angharad nodded, suddenly feeling at least as upset as her brother had been.

“Good! Follow me, and don’t forget what I’ve told you. Never forget.” Angharad nodded again, and as her mother stood, walked close behind her out of their rooms, fighting the impulse to grab her mother’s skirts and weep for reasons she didn’t even fully understand.  

     ◊

A week later, Peredur headed toward the bathing room with everyone else, but his mother grabbed his arm. She pulled him bodily away from the others who were heading to the bathing rooms as well. It was bath day after all.

“What are you doing M'ma?” He asked, as she moved them toward their alcove. “It’s bath-time.”

“Shh.” Enid replied without even looking back at him. She pulled him into the alcove, dropping the thick tarp between the entrance and the rest of the common area. She pulled him into the corner toward her pallet where the small circular window best lit.

As she sat him down on her lap, he looked at her face. “M'ma, why are you crying?”

“Pere,” She said, stroking his hair. “Today is probably the day they’ll take you to be a pup. It’s an exciting day for you, and I want you to be happy. Some bad things may happen, but you need to understand, becoming a war pup means never seeing me again. Okay? This is true for all pups.”

“No! But. M'ma!”

“Shhshh. It’s okay. This is the way things are. But you, you might see things happen which other pups don’t. Don’t tell them. Don’t tell An… Axle. He doesn’t need to know. I kept you longer than I should. That’s frowned upon Peredur. Do you understand?”

Peredur nodded. The day after… Axle, had gone to get inducted, the mothers had cried. Mama had cried. The girl children didn’t understand. They asked when their brothers, their friends, would be back, and the mothers made soothing sounds that didn’t sooth with them also weeping. Peredur felt too numb, too shocked, too confused to cry. But his eyes stung now. “Yes Mom.”

“I’m sorry it had to be this way. The life for girls… they’re not good. Not as good as bein’ a war boy. We’re giving Angharad a better life. And the two of you can be together! Just don’t forget your not related.”

“Yes M'ma.” Peredur agreed and, feeling the need to reassure her somehow, even though he didn’t understand everything that was happening, he hugged her. She hugged him back, so close. She held him so close it almost hurt, but he ignored it and kept his little arms around her neck, his fingers curled into her golden hair. They remained like this for a long moment and then  suddenly the curtain was drawn back with a jerk so hard, the whole curtain fell away.

“Why aren’t you at the bathing pit?” It was one of those Imperators, his chest bare, unpainted, his forehead black.

Enid’s grip tightened around him. “We don’t need baths.” She choked out, pushing to her feet.

The Imperator reached out and grabbed Peredur so hard under his shoulder that he cried out. He heard his mother cry out and try to pull him away, but the Imperator was stronger, and Peredur felt his body get wrenched toward the man. He’d try to keep his grip on Ma, but he wasn’t strong enough.

Peredur was pushed to the ground, and the Imperator yanked away his pup coverings, exposing him completely. “He should have been inducted a week ago!”

“He’s not ready!” He heard his mother say, surging toward them. There was a flash of movement, a sound of pain, and Ma was on the floor. “Mix! Hinj!” Two War Boys moved into the room, just outside the alcove, and looked to the Imperator. “We got a smuggled pup over here. Take 'im down to the puppy pit. And shave his head for the sake 'o Immorta!”

“Ma?” Peredur questioned as the War Boys each took a shoulder of his.

When she looked at him, there was blood on her mouth and tears down her face. “Don’t forget what I told you.” She said, sounding much stronger than she looked. She then mouthed, 'Go,’ and Peredur reluctantly let the men lead him out of the room. As the War Boys were leading him out of the Nurturing Rooms, he heard sounds of a struggle, heard a muffled scream, and he tried to turn around.  Mix or Hinj turned him back to the door.

“Have you thought of a suitable name for yerself yet?” One of them asked, the one whose shoulders looked as wide as Peredur was long but was a good head shorter than the other.

“N-not really.”

“I like Mix.” The taller one said. “'Cause I like to mix things up a lot. Never repeat the same move, and they can’t anticipate ya.”

“Anticipate?” Peredur asked.

“See what yer gonna do next.” Mix explained.

The other shrugged. “I just liked the sound'a Hinj. Though it don’ matter. Anyone who’s anyone won’ be callin’ you anything but Pup or Skut or whatever. Not till ya earn the right to have yer own name.”

Peredur nodded. “What’s gonna happen to my ma?”

“Not yer Ma. Not any more. Now we’re yer Ma’s.” Mix said with a shrug.

“Or well… brothers is best. That’s family though. And the closest fam'ly you’ll ever have.” Hinj added, patting Peredur on the head. “Man, that’s some shine hair. Almost a shame to shave it. Heh. We’ll save it for ya. How 'bout that? We’ll start showing you how to make stuff on yer own, get creative. Lots o’ other new pups use shaved hair 'n other stuffs to make dolls. Soft things. To remind ya… to keep you comfort.”

“Keep you from crying!” Mix said with a nod. “Best not to cry.”

Peredur lowered his head at that, because all he felt like doing was crying.


	2. Induction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angharad and Peredur get inducted into War Boy culture and become war pups, but their experiences are quite different. Peredur sees things he's not supposed to, and Angharad isn't afraid to run at the front of the pack.

That night, Peredur couldn't sleep. Becoming a pup wasn't as exhausting as he imagined, but it was also without much note. Hinj and Mix had said if he'd come in properly, it would have been a much bigger deal. Instead, the two of them scavenged through a pile of pants until they found one they thought might fit him and made him change. Then they took him to another room and cut off his hair before shaving it clean. They explained the process but said he'd need to watch the others once the next time came. And finally, they took him to get painted. When it was all done, they made sounds of approval and praise, and Peredur tried to be happy, but he kept seeing his mother's bloody face and hearing those noises.

By the time they brought him to where the other pups were, they were drooping from exhaustion and barely acknowledged him joining them. They'd all hunkered together then for sleep. It was much like sleeping in the alcove with Angharad and Ma, sleeping in a pile together. But somehow, he was cold.

The pups around him had steady breathing, and Peredur pushed to his feet. He silently padded out of the room and wandered at the edges of the stone corridors until he found the place they'd cut his hair. He'd kept track up until then on the way from Ma. He knew he shouldn't be trying to go back to her, but he couldn't help himself. He slunk back through that maze of tunnels, half following instinct and half remembering the way, until finally he came upon the entryway to the nurturing rooms.

When Peredur approached, he slowed his steps and drew closer to the craggy walls.

"Such blasphemy cannot be left unpunished!" He heard a booming, inhuman voice announce. "But I am a merciful god, and I will not punish the child." There was a whispering of voices from the women who must be inside, the sounds of relief. There were suddenly footsteps. Peredur hurried to a dip in the wall, hiding in the shadows there as _Immortan Joe himself_ marched out of the room. He held Ma! By the shoulder. "But you, you traitored me. There is no mercy for that." Peredur could see the mothers crowding the entrance, looking out at the Immortan and his Imperators who walked beside him. He stopped at the perch at which Peredur and Angharad had been taught about the Wretched and had watched the Immorta bestow his gift upon them.

As the Immortan Joe stopped at the perch, he pulled Ma until she gathered her feet under her. Her face, it was scared but... there was stone in her eyes. Like, like this embarrassment was worth it? Was this happening because of him? Because she kept him away?

"Let it be remembered that the punishment for traitoring me is death!" He boomed and then threw her over the side of the perch. There was a unanimous screaming gasp from the women which masked Peredur's own. He clapped his hands over his mouth and drew back farther against the wall.

The women looked about to surge forward when one of the Imperators stepped toward them with some club-like object, and as a whole, the women drew back into the Nurturing rooms.

Peredur watched as the Immortan stepped away from the perch, and Peredur mutely found himself drawing closer, using all the familiar worn spots in the walls to keep himself in the shadows. He wanted to look over. Perhaps it was a trick.

"That will keep them from the likes of that again for a while." Peredur heard the Imperator saying to the Immortan.

"Yes. Though have the other Imperators keep an ear out. It's not good if the breeders are passing along the idea that their get shouldn't want to be war boys." He said, turning back to the corridor. He glanced at his ghost white hand. "It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Skeletons. The image of death and all. Gave us an excuse to push the paint on them. But every now and then, all I see are maggots. Swarming maggots throughout our mighty Citadel. Eck." He shook his head. "Let's go and get this waste off me."

"I don't know, sir." The Imperator said, glancing warily at The Immortan. "They've gotten creative with the look. There's a certain beauty to it now."

The Immortan shrugged dismissively. "It's not all the time. But I usually only see them from up top. In masses and droves, waiting to hear me, they often—" He waved his hand, dismissing the thought. "It's of no matter. Did you check the other alcoves for any more contraband?"

They'd finally drawn far enough away that Peredur could approach the perch. He glanced around. Immortan and the Imperator had disappeared down the corridor, and the other Imperator was still in the Nurturing rooms. Peredur skittered to the perch and looked down, looking for something, anything. He knew what it looked like; he'd been here hundreds of times before. There was no extra ledge, nothing for Ma to have been hidden away on. And there was only darkness below. Darkness, and the Wretched.

Peredur suddenly felt the need to vomit. He clutched his mouth and backed away. It would be weak to puke, to cry. Mix and Hinj had told him there was no room for weakness. He fled then, back to the piles of other war boys who had been separated from their Mamas too. But their mamas were probably still alive. As he ran, and only as he ran, he let himself cry.

◊

Angharad's transition to war pup had been much more ceremonious and gleeful. Ma had walked her into a grand altar room, with large circles and circles stacked upon one another, with those skull faces staring down, boring into all who would look upon them. She had stared in awe as her mother walked her in behind the other Ma's who had boy children around her age. Peredur had been here before, she remembered, but she hadn't.

As they lined up along the sides of the walls, almost as a unit, the mothers leaned down and bestowed a single kiss on their child's forehead. Enid kissed Angharad's brow. "Remember everything I've told you." She whispered. "I love you so much. Live good, live strong." She gave Angharad's shoulder a squeeze and then stood up. Angharad wanted to hug her, feel her large, soft body fold around her and reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but she had to be hard now. Affection could mean weakness here.

War Boys ushered them further into the room and showed them the sign of the V8. They saluted the altar and were told after their transformation, they would return for the Tenday ceremony. They were then led to another room, where three war boys stood by a pile of black and found pants for the other pups. Angharad—no. Axle stood back feeling smug that she already had hers. She'd noticed the other pups glancing at her shine new pants she had before them. Even the War Boys seemed to take it in, gesturing to others to take note. It made her spine straighter, and she felt... special.

"Alright, you. Clothed pup." A War Boy barked as the other pups were changing into their pants. "Since you so special, we'll use your head."

Angharad. Axle! Felt a moment of uncertainty, but she stepped forward confidently all the same and made herself available to the War Boy. "We're gon' show ya'll mongrels how to shave yer heads." And he proceeded to grab what was left of Axle's hair and pushed her head down. She bit back a yelp of surprise. Something moist was rubbed vigorously onto her head, and then she felt the grating scrape of a razor blade. She flinched ever so slightly when the War Boy nicked her, but she refused to make a noise of pain.

When finally he let her stand back up, she ran a hand over her bald head, felt the air breathe against it. She grinned at the other pups and mouthed, 'so cool.' They giggled and nearly danced with anticipation.

"Alright pups, each o' ya rub up yer heads with this here oil and grab a razor. Partner up and shave each others' heads." Axle headed toward the pile, but the War Boy pulled her back by the back of her pants. He started checking the fit of them, which made Axle nervous for a moment, but then the War Boy made a sound of acceptance. "Who e'er got you those did good." He gave a nod. "But I did yer shave, so you wait till next time to practice."

"But-" She began to protest, but his elbow jerked out and struck her in the shoulder. It made her stumble back a step, and her shoulder throbbed, but she bit back any noises of surprise or pain and gave a sullen nod. This seemed to have been the right thing to do though, as the War Boy gave another accepting nod. He then got up and started walking around, helping the boys here and there get the hang of it. By the time all was done, each boy had at least a slightly bloody scalp. Axle's was the cleanest, but even she had a trail of blood running down the side of her face. One of the boys was crying quietly, his head bloodier than most, but everyone ignored him.

Once done, they were led off to a room under a large rusty pipe that seemed to be letting out a constant trickle. They were told to wipe away the blood and come over to the other side of the room where white liquid sat in a big tub. It was then that they began to apply the thick, goupy white paint to their bodies. It felt weird and cold at first, but once they were done, they were taken to a terrace to stand out in the hot sun. They said it was to bake it, make sure it didn't smudge and smear away, getting everything you touched white. They left the pups alone for a little while then, and Axle found herself playing a round of Keep Away with most the other boys. Axle managed to win by climbing up the side of one of the walls higher than any of the boys so that she never became Wretched. She stuck her tongue out at them and found a part of a crag just wide enough for her to set her butt down on and sit.

When the War Boy who seemed to be looking out for them this day returned, he laughed out loud at her perched up there and called her down, chuckling. When she jumped down, he rubbed her head then checked his hand. Some white flaked off, but he gave a nod of approval.

And then they were led to Ceremony. They told the Tale of Our Redeemer, of how Immortan Joe had lived then died and then lived again. Sure, she'd heard it before, but never like this. This story spoke of the battles he won, the creatures he defeated. It didn't focus on the boring things like how much food he produced and the water he summoned up from the ground. This was _heroic_ , and she was awed by the scope of it all. And then came other War Boys, telling of other heroic deeds. Told about War Boys named Wheel and Moltov and Dash and Minstrul and Claw who had all fought glorious in the name of Their Redeemer and flown shiny and chrome to Valhalla.

By the time night had come and they were left to find sleep on their own, her head had been reeling with the stories. She nudged the war pup closest. "What name You gonna take?" She asked him.

"Don't work like that." A war pup Axle didn't recognize as having been with her group today said. He must have come in with the group before them. She'd heard a War Boy say to another: _"Have t'do this every 60 days. Pah. Need ta git on one o' them raids and outta Citadel duty. How'm I gunna go glory to Valhalla stuck teachin' these skit basic shit ev-ry six-ty daays?"_

"'Course it does. Just 'cause the War Boys won't use them doesn't mean we can't have 'em. I need something to _call_ you guys." She insisted. "Here. I've already picked out mine. "Imma go by Axle." She gave a firm nod.

"Mediocre." The boy said with a huff.

 _"You're_ mediocre."Axle threw back. The war pup drew back like she'd physically struck him, and a moment later, he threw himself at her, and the scrambling fight began. This war pup clearly hadn't had a scrappy brother his own size before though. Axle knew from scrapping with her brother how to pin someone their size, and their tussling and turning and kicking and hitting really didn't last long before Axle had him pinned. The boy had actually been a bit bigger, and he moved much differently than Peredur, but she'd compensated. And as she held him down, she finally heard the other war pups. They'd circled them and were chanting 'fight.' As she settled though, it quieted.

"I'm Axle!" She insisted. "And we can pick our own names—to use amongst ourselves. We're gonna be war pups ya skit. Time to start taking risks; otherwise, yeah, your gonna be mediocre." A quiet chant of 'Axle' started up. "So?" She cut through it. "What're you gonna go by?" She asked him. It grew dead quiet again, and the older war pup looked around.

He jerked his shoulders, and Axle sat up, giving the boy his upper body movement. He glared up at her, then finally said clearly, "Dash."

Axle got off him and stood up. She held her hand out to him. "It's nice to meet you. Dash."

Warily, the other boy looked up at her. He got up on his own, but once he was on his feet, he took her hand in a tight grasp. "Axle." He gave a nod. She grinned, and the war pups surged in, and they were suddenly all around them muttering names they wanted or were considering. It went on for a while, until a War Boy stormed in.

"Cog Fodder!" The shout made them scramble. "Yer s'posed to be sleeping! Don't care if ya actually do. Just don't be making so much rev!" They'd all gone quiet, and the War Boy nodded. "F'king puppy cargo trash." He muttered as he disappeared down the corridor again.

Axle snickered then, and a murmur of snickers followed. Many of them sounded uncertain, but Axle just grinned. She then yawned. "I suppose. I am tired." She rubbed her eyes and looked around. No pallets.

"We sleep together. In piles. Keep each other warm." Dash replied with a shrug. Axle nodded, and she spent her first night in a puppy pile and found she actually quite liked her new life and fell asleep smiling. She couldn't wait for Peredur to join her!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking inspiration from Bonehandledknife and Primarybufferpanel, and they should get all credit for any references to Tenday and its ceremonies!


	3. Chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angharad and Peredur get used to daily life in Citadel.

About a week passed Axle by without her hardly noticing it. She took to her tasks well and always found War Boys to help her around when she couldn't find her way. And on this day, she was given her favorite task for the third time: relaying messages back and forth between the Imperator managing the diggers and the supply keepers. She had to go to the supply cove first to find out what they needed that day and then she could head up to the Top and get to The Garden. She loved climbing to the Top! She loved climbing!

"Hey! Wait up!" She skidded to a halt and turned to see Dash coming after her. "I was assigned to help in the supply cove, so we should walk together." He said, catching up to her. He clapped her on the shoulder. "You know, I'm not even jealous."

Axle stuck her tongue out at him. "You're not as good at climbing as me."

"No. And I won't ever be. I'll do what I need to, but I am not a fan of heights."

"Scaared?" She teased, and she giggled when he elbowed her, knocking her slightly to one side. "Didn't you have supply duties like, not even three days ago?"

"They like me down there. I'm good with the numbers. I even heard them talking about teaching me some writing so I can work with larger batches."

"That's pretty serious Dash! They might try to keep you."

"Pssht!" Dash elbowed her again. "I'm not going to get a soft job."

"Even War Boys doing soft jobs get their chances at glory Dash." Axle said, rolling her eyes. "All War Boys fight at some point or another."

"Yeah, I know. But it definitely seems like the supply boys don't rotate out as often. I've only once been assigned to a training area, and I just sharpened some knives, and I've only been to the Grease Pit a handful of times."

"Oh the Grease Pit is fun! All the shine cars are down there being made to honor the Immortan!"

Dash sent her a glare, and she couldn't help but laugh. "You'll get down there on assignment soon."

"Maybe I'll mix the numbers up today and help that happen sooner."

Axle looked at him wide-eyed. "Y-you can't do that! Everything we do is in honor of the Immortan! That, that would-"

"It would be fine. Counter always rechecks my work anyway. He'll catch it and just send me off without my chip. You'll have to work extra hard and get an extra chip for me today." He grinned at her.

"What has gotten into you today?! You don't share chips! That's..." She trailed off.

Dash laughed. "Just you wait. You'll start gambling for chips. I sometimes forget you haven't been a war pup as long as I have. Besides, it will all be in service of the Immortan. What good is any War Boy who hasn't spent time in the Grease Pit?"

"That's a good point." Axle conceded.

"Then it's settled! Besides, you always get an extra chip when you're on messenger duty."

"Alright, done. For the Immortan!" She half giggled out as she made the V8 sign and bowed over it, trying to act all reverent, but her giggle ruined the reverence, earning her yet another elbow jab to her side.

◊

The morning after his first night as a war pup, he saw her. She was surrounded by war pups, and he could tell from the way they looked at her and interacted with her that she was shine in all their eyes. They all called her Axle as Mama had said they should. The other war pups were so eager to be friends with her, that Peredur found it easy to stay out of her line of sight. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, it was that he didn't know how to deal with it, with what happened to Ma, with pretending not to know his sister... So he stayed in the back while Mix entered to give all the pups assignments.

Axle was the first to receive hers. She was given messenger duties. This seemed to require a lot of climbing, something she was apparently very good at. She was clearly eager to begin her task as she nearly skipped right out of the room.

By the time most of the other war pups had been given assignments and sent out of the room, Peredur was feeling anxious. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing, and he wouldn't know where to go when given his assignment or how to perform it.

"You " Mix pointed sharply at the last remaining war pup. "You pathetic runt, you're gon' give this new skit a tour. Like you were given yer first day." He gave this command to a sad looking boy whose shoulders had been hunched inward even before Mix turned his attention on him but only furrowed further toward each other upon being addressed.

"B-But sir. You ga-"

"Are you a war pup?" Mix demanded, descending on the pup.

"Y-yes." The boy responded defensively.

"Then do this or forego your chip again." Mix growled.

The boy's eyes widened and, for a moment, his whole body shuddered. "I'll do it! I'll get it done."

"Yes ya will. Now be on yer way!" Mix barked, and the boy looked at Peredur just long enough to jerk his head toward the corridor and scamper out. Peredur took a moment, processing what just happened, and he saw Mix about to turn on him for hesitating, so he jerked forward and hurried after the boy.

The war pup was waiting just outside the room, in the shadows, out of sight of Mix. When he saw Peredur, he gestured for him to follow him and moved forward mutely.

"So... err... What's your name?" Peredur asked.

The boy shook his head. "No name. I haven't earned it yet."

"But... I heard the other boys calling each other by name." Peredur replied confused.

"Well, they're—they really shouldn't be. I don't think? It's not clear. They don't explain a ton to us. Just... just tell us what to do, and we do it."

"And if we don't?" Peredur asked, noticing the way this boy was shuddering and breathing heavily and clearly miserable.

"If you don't, you don't get your chip."

"What chip?" Peredur asked, feeling anxious himself now. Would he be expected to know where things were after this boy showed him around? He didn't really see that going very smoothly.

"You get chips for a job done or really good work. Those chips are exchanged for gruel." The kid explained.

"So... if you don't get a chip, and you can't give it for food..." He looked at the boy, not wanting to fully understand.

The boy nodded. "Then you don't eat. They say it'll make you work harder the next day. They say you gotta earn your food, you know? So... if you aren't good enough, you don't eat." The kid was beginning to ramble.

"And you didn't get one last night." Peredur put together the words from earlier. The boy gave a jerking nod. Just thinking about that made Peredur feel sick to his stomach. "And... none of the other pups offered you any food?"

The boy stopped in his tracks and stared at Peredur with huge eyes. "What? No! Of course not. Y-you don't perform your duties, you don't get rewarded. It-it wouldn't be right for someone to reward me when I fail. I-I've got to do better." Peredur stared at this boy, who believed what he said.

But this was absurd.

"If you don't get food, you'll get weak and tired. How can you be of use like that?"

The boy shook his head. "Don't work like that." He started forward again eagerly. "Besides, that would make the giver weak. A chip only gets you so much food. You gotta feed yourself first right? Only ones who maybe get enough chips to maybe offer 'em would be Axle, Dash, or Quiet."

Peredur fought to keep a straight face. Angharad was getting enough chips to feed others, and she wasn't? That didn't seem right. "So. You'll call the other pups by those names, but it would be wrong for you to have one?"

The kid's face contorted in a mix of confusion and frustration. He looked forward intently. "Haven't earned it." He finished with a shrug.

Peredur wasn't sure he was going to be able to get used to this. It took all of his will to force his mind on the task at hand: learning from this tour, remembering his way. He generally had a good sense of direction, so after a moment of retracing their steps, he was pretty sure he could get back to the assignment room.

◊

"Pup! Ya git down from there right now! What were ya thinking??" Axle heard a voice suddenly boom out from below her. It startled her enough to make her clutch at the rocks. She let go with her right arm—as the sound had come more from her right than her left—and looked down. There was a docking cove a good auto and a half below her and a War Boy on the ledge, looking up the cliff face. He wasn't looking at her though, which made sense as Axle was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Looking down in that direction now, she finally noticed a sound that had probably been going on since before she heard the shout—the distant sound of a child crying. Knowing what to look for, she saw a small white body on the cliff face beside the docking cove. A war pup much younger than herself seemed to have tried climbing and now seemed too scared to move and was out of reach from the War Boy.

Axle looked at the kevlar rope attached to the belay hooked to her waist and looked down again, gauging the distance. She turned back to the cliff face and gripped the rocks with both hands again. She then pushed off the rock face, abseiling just over half an auto. As her feet hit the rock face, she bent her knees to take the shock before pushing off, this time with a little more force than before, and abseiled again, falling farther from the rock face than she had before with the extra momentum. She winced when her feet made contact again. She hadn't gotten the privilege of shoes yet and the force hurt, may have even cut her left foot.

ignoring the ache in her feet and the sharp pain in her foot, she looked around for the docking cove. As she had hoped, it was a little above her now. It's easier to climb up than down, and her vertical position on the cliff face was farther to the left than the pup's, so she was going to have to climb toward the side about half an auto.

Axle scurried the short distance that was between her and the pup, the sound of his cries now loud and shrill in her ears. She tuned it out until she came even with him. As he saw her, he quieted. His eyes showed a lot of white, but he was watching her intently. She didn't quite crawl up to his height, her head reaching about his thigh. "Alright pup," she said soothingly. "Come 'ere. Hold onto me." The pup sniffled and looked down at her, then over at the War Boy who had quieted as Axle had approached. The pup managed to lower his body just a little bit, putting his waist at Axle's head. She readjusted her grip on the rock face with her left hand, planting her feet, and used her right hand to hook between his legs and up toward his waist. "Hold my arm!" She said as he began to let go of the rock face so she could get a grip. The boy immediately grabbed her right arm with both his arms, which had not been what she intended! Her body turned at the imbalanced weight, her left hip hitting the cliff face. She had to lean into it to take his weight against her body. But they were now in a position that she should be able to lean back toward the docking cove and slide the pup into the War Boy's arms.

"Okay, you see that War Boy, pup?" She asked softly, as the war pup was still crying, but much more quietly now.

The war pup nodded. "Tiller." He said. Axle assumed that was the War Boy's name.

"Okay pup, I'm going to lean toward Tiller, slowly. I want you to keep one hand on me until you feel that Tiller has you. Okay? You got that?"

"Mmhmm." The war pup mumbled with a nod.

"Tiller?"

"I'm ready." The War Boy said, reaching up for the pup.

Slowly, Axle was able to hand the pup off to the War Boy. The loss of the pup's weight finally made her lose her grip, and she dropped a quarter of an auto and swung back away from the docking cove before she got her grip on the rocks again. By the time she did though, she felt shaky and weak and her vision was getting a little blurry. She decided it would be best if she got onto the docking cove and recovered her strength. She quickly clamored back up and over to it and nearly collapsed at Tiller's feet.

The War Boy knelt down as she got there and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you!" He said, almost aggressively. "I left 'im alone for hardly a moment! I dunno what he was thinking. Probably saw you climbin' and wanted to try."

Axle nodded, her throat suddenly too dry to speak. Instead, she found herself taking a gasping breath. She looked at her hand and found it to be trembling and felt herself flush. How could she be so weak?

"Oh! Duh. Here." The War Boy pressed something into her hand, and when she looked down at it, she saw a small flask. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Water?"

"Only take a sip!" He said, his voice mangled. She got the impression that he was trying to be stern, but it wasn't convincing. She took him at his word and took a quick sip, swishing the bitter tasting water around her mouth for a moment before swallowing. That helped.

Handing it back to him, she said, "Why isn't he in the Nurturing Rooms? He's too young to be a war pup!"

"His Milker's a full life, so he couldn't stay with her s'long as you got to stay with yers. So, he's my responsibility instead. I'd've been in so much trouble if he'd fallen." Tiller sat down now as well and pulled the pup into his lap, holding him affectionately. This wasn't about him getting in trouble. This War Boy truly cared about his pup.

"Glad t'save ya the trouble." She said back, amusement in her voice. "But wait. If his m-Milker was a full life, what's he doin a war pup?"

"Ya can't see it, but he's not full life. Who knows how it happens. His skin is all sorts of cracked and got sores an' shit. The paint covers it, but it's there."

Axle nodded slowly, then looked up. She had only made it a little over half her journey, but she wasn't going to feel up for the rest for a while.

"You on messenger duty?" He shook his head. "O' course you are, climbing like that. That was some impressive climbing boy!" Axle looked at him startled. Boy was not a term used for pups by actual War Boys!

"Look, I owe you more than a sip of water, and it wouldn't be safe for you to start your climb up again just yet." He reached into a pouch at his side. "Here." He opened his palm. Two chips rested in it. She looked up at him wide-eyed.

"But, those are yours!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

The boy closed his fingers on the chip and turned his wrist around, lifted and dropped his palm from his wrist, gesturing for her to put her hand under his. "Not mine. War Boys get different chips, else we might be tempted to just keep yours and never reward you. These, this skut gets to earn," He said, bouncing the pup once, "and I've got more I can give him yet, if he makes up for that stunt he just pulled."

Numbly, Axle put her hand under Tiller's, accepting the chips. "He was very brave." She pointed out to him, watching the chips fall into her palm. She had just earned the bare minimum now for both her and Dash tonight. They wouldn't eat super well, but they'd eat.

Tiller gave a sigh. "Yes, I s'pose he was," and he patted the pup affectionately on the head. "Look, I'll even give you another chip if you do me one more favor." He looked down into the cove and Axle followed his gaze. She didn't see anything, but her eyes weren't adjusted to the darkness in there, so there was nothing to see. Even knowing there was almost certainly a light roughly two autos down, she could only see a vague lightening to the darkness.

"What's the favor?" She asked, her voice coming out scratchy. The sip hadn't quite been enough.

Tiller stood up and looked into the Cove. "Wheeler, come here. Your flask has more than mine does."

There was a grunt, and then another War Boy came forward. He was holding a flask in his hand. "What do I get for letting your new friend here have some hmm?"

Tiller put one of his hands on the wrist of the other War Boy, inches away from the flask. He leaned into the War Boy, Wheeler, putting his mouth near the boy's ear. He clearly said something to the War Boy, something that made his body stiffen but his eyes to droop.

"Okay," Wheeler said, almost breathlessly. "That's acceptable." Tiller then pressed his lips into the boy's temple (Tiller was a half head taller) and then ran his fingers from the boy's wrist to his hand, taking the flask from the boy in a manner that seared into Axle's mind. She couldn't quite grasp why the motion... why the whole interaction, left such an impression on her, but she was still staring at the second War Boy when Tiller handed her the flask. She shook her head, accepted the water, and took a good gulp. She handed it back to Tiller, knowing better than to get greedy. Tiller rubbed her head approvingly, and her head felt hot at the touch. It was probably just the sun though. It was at the perfect angle to blaze into this spot.

"I won't be tha' long. Watch my pup in the meantime hey? Don't! let him do anymore climbing. Here." He pulled two white squares out of his pocket. "Play with these," and he tossed them to her. Dice.

Axle looked up at him grinning. She hadn't gotten a chance to play dice before! She'd seen War Boys playing with them, but she was never invited. "I'll wait here for you then!" She agreed, and grabbed up the dice.

"Imma want those back when I return!" Tiller said, but he was already turned away and walking off into the darkness with Wheeler at his side.

◊

By the end of the day and his tour, Peredur was significantly less certain of his ability to find his way around the different areas of Citadel again the next day, and he found himself worried about whether or not he was going to be able to receive today's chip. It didn't help that this boy had them going almost in circles looking for Mix. Since he was the only War Boy they worked with today, apparently he was the only one who could give them chips... and Peredur was tired of listening to tummy growls.

They finally found him heading to the mess hall himself. The war pup Peredur was with was too afraid calling out would be considered bad behavior, but it was also clear he was too weak to run after the War Boy at this point. Peredur found himself skipping ahead. "War Boy Mix, sir." He said, raising his voice just enough to call attention. Mix turned to him.

"Ah, the new pup. Did that skit give you an adequate tour hmm?" The man asked, crossing his arms and bending just slightly at the waist, hovering over him, an eyebrow raised.

"I think so sir. I'm sure I can find my way to the gruel hall," He pointed in front of them in its direction, "as well as Grease Pit, the Lifts, the Organic Mechanic's Shop, and I think I know how to get by the Training Arena 'cause it's near the Paint Factory."

"How 'bout the watch tower?" Mix asked, tapping his fingers on his arm.

"We didn't go that far sir. He wanted to show me as many places as possible today, and he said that would take as much time to show me as three of the others. He did say it's pretty much five stories above the Grease Cove and a little to the north."

The War Boy snorted. "Do you even know which way is north?"

"I think so, sir. That way." Peredur replied, pointing north. "Oh, and we also stopped by the Feral Cages." He gave a nod.

Mix tapped the fingers of his left hand against his bicep for a moment before giving a brisk nod and reaching into a pouch at his side. He pulled out two chips and flicked one toward Peredur and one toward the war pup. Peredur caught his, but the pup was too seemingly shocked at receiving his that it hit him in the forehead before falling to the ground. Even before it hit the ground, the pup scrambled to pick it up. Mix made a noise of disgust before turning and continuing on. Peredur watched him leave in disbelief. This was not at all what he expected of being a War Boy.

The war pup stepped up beside him and whispered a vehement "thank you." Peredur looked at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "No problem. Let's get some grub!"

The two kids headed into the wide room with long tables carved down the sides from the rock of the Citadel. Peredur slowed as they entered. It was the first time he had been in there. It was big, huge, and, for the interior of Citadel, surprisingly lit. For all its largeness, he felt highly uncomfortable as it somehow felt like he was in an enclosed space. White bodies swarmed all about and stifled noise assailed him from all sides. Mostly, there were War Boys. There was an occasional Imperator here or there, and along the edges swarmed the Pups.

"What are you doing? Come on!" His companion for the day grabbed his arm and tugged on it, pulling him toward one side of the hall where there seemed to be a serving area. Peredur had hardly noticed himself stopping to stare.

Suddenly there was a harder tug on his arm, and he just barely caught himself before tumbling to the ground like the other boy had. A boy who looked as though he could either be an older war pup or a young War Boy burst into cackles. Looking back to the boy he'd been with all day, he saw him curled up on the ground in such a way that a simple fall shouldn't have left him. The war pup/boy must have tripped him. The rude boy made to step over Peredur's companion and that's when Peredur noticed the fallen chip. He skittered forward, jumping past his companion and sweeping up the chip.

"He earned this!" He found himself hissing at the mean boy.

"Oh?! Did he?" The war pup scowled at Peredur and stepped forward, shoving Peredur's shoulder, knocking him back a couple steps. "Hard t'believe that runt earned anything."

A large (for a kid) body suddenly stepped between Peredur and the mean boy. The new body had his back to him, but he could tell the kid was big—not quite a head taller than Peredur but definitely much wider.

Peredur took this chance to crouch down by the boy and hold the chip out to him. "Here you go Small, I have your chip." He assured.

The boy stilled, and furious eyes looked up at Peredur. A stinging on his hand was his only clue that the boy had snatched his chip back. He was suddenly on his feet, so close to Peredur, Peredur fell on his butt.

"Don't say that!" And the boy took off. Peredur cringed. He hadn't even realized he'd started to think of the boy that way. The boy was actually a bit taller than Peredur, but it was his demeanor that made him seem so small.

"Hey Quiet, you got an issue?" A new voice called. Peredur looked to the war pup who had called out the question. That boy was looking at someone else, the large boy who had got between him and Mean.

Peredur jumped to his feet and tapped on the big guy's shoulder. Quiet's shoulder? Quiet had been in the process of looking to the new war pup, but he then turned to look at Peredur at his touch.

"Thank you." Peredur said to Quiet. The boy gave him a small smile and gave a nod. He then gestured toward where the food was being served, and Peredur nodded a little uncertainly. He then headed to get his food, following Small's body into the mass of War Boys and pups going to get their food. He was definitely hoping the food would clear his head; he felt very overwhelmed and confused.


End file.
